This is a guest article by Roman Kamchatnyi

How to become a personal travel assistant?

Not many people want to become personal travel assistants in today's job market. Many applicants interested in administrative work are looking for a broader field. If you search for jobs for the position of a travel personal assistant, there are few. To get the position you want, you will have to try hard. If you do not know where to start to become a professional, you should pay attention to the article, where we have collected a lot of helpful material. 

What a travel assistant does

A personal travel assistant organizes and manages travel for various company employees. Using their knowledge, experience, and understanding of the travel industry, the assistant can promptly arrange multiple types of trips, including some quite complicated ones. In large consulting firms, this specialist is engaged in organizing trips for entire departments or specific employees. A true professional in this field must have planning and coordination skills to ensure the smooth operation of employees.

If you consider career opportunities, they are pretty limited. It is a niche area of employment. Not every company or institution has a job opening. The candidate must have all the necessary skills to move up the career ladder. 

How to become a professional travel assistant

Many people dream of starting a job as a travel assistant. Suppose you are interested in getting this job. In that case, we suggest you read the instructions we created with the experts at job aggregator Jooble.

Step №1: Education

There is no separate educational program for personal travel assistants. Often, candidates for the position take a travel agent course and get their license. Also, most potential assistants are educated in business and have a college degree in administration or business management. 

Step №2: Gaining practical skills

To become a personal travel assistant, you must know the travel industry. A professional must understand how the plane, train, and other transportation tickets are booked and how lodging, transfers, and other processes are handled. The best solution is to get a job at a travel agency to gain valuable practical skills.

Step №3: Experience

In-demand professionals have experience in administrative positions in a large company. Pressure, the work processes in such companies are quite different from a travel agency. Budget planning and other skills can be helpful here. 

How much does a personal assistant earn

The average personal assistant salary in the United States is $48,134 annually.

Salary amounts range from $24,202 to $84,170 per year.

Salary depends on many factors: employer, location, experience, education, etc. 

What skills a personal travel assistant should have

No formal qualifications are required for a unique travel assistant. Still, at the same time, they must have specific skills to be a successful employee.

1. Communication

The ability to communicate with people is essential to the personal travel assistant. These professionals are responsible for organizing a variety of trips. It requires staying effective in building relationships with people - managers at airports, hotels, and others. 

2. Interpersonal skills

These employees interact with office managers, secretaries, and others. Interpersonal skills are essential in everything you need to do to organize an effective business trip, from the journey itself to journaling.

3. Time management skills

A personal travel assistant will perform many tasks. You need to organize all processes and manage time to work effectively and correctly. This specialist is responsible not only for managing his time but also controls the schedule of his boss and the company's managers.

4. Organizational skills

The presented skill is of great importance for the personal travel assistant. It is on his shoulders falls the whole organization of the trip - from the selection of transport and purchase of the ticket to hotel accommodation and travel expenses. 

5. The ability to cope with multitasking

A personal assistant should be able to multitask. Often these professionals perform several processes simultaneously: planning, answering numerous phone calls and emails, administrative support, and more. 

6. Scrupulosity

A qualified personal travel assistant is bound to be meticulous. Their job is based on knowing the ins and outs of their boss, company, and others. For example, while organizing a business trip, the professional must be able to plan transportation and lodging and follow and adhere to the company's policy on travel expenses. 

How to get a job as a personal travel assistant: Top 3 tips

If you have sufficiently developed the above-mentioned valuable skills, it is worth mentioning them on your resume. You should also constantly work on developing and improving them. If you dream of getting a position as a personal travel assistant, then we recommend reading these professional tips on how to get the job:

1. Work on your professional skills. If you want to stand out from other applicants, you need to work on the skills you can list on your CV. If you are unemployed, you can take an educational course in administrative management or any other helpful field.

2. Research a potential field of employment. Suppose you want to become a personal travel assistant for a commercial firm, a celebrity, or get a job in a particular work field. In that case, you should do some thorough research. Above, we have listed a true professional's standard range of skills and qualities. But also certain areas require more highly specialized specific skills. For example, it may be the ability to work with social networks, planning skills for travel and certain corporate or private events, budget management experience, administrative skills, etc. The more you can demonstrate and put on your resume, the better your chances of getting the job you want. 

3. Do your research. Not every job will turn out to be perfect for you. With a thorough analysis of the market, at the expense of boards with announcements of current vacancies, it will be possible to choose the best field. Also, studying the job market will allow you to navigate the average salary, what skills employers value, potential career advancement, and others. Based on the requirements of potential employers, you can intelligently structure your resume before sending it to the HR department. 

Conclusion

An office manager, administrative assistant, or personal assistant to a manager performs the same job tasks as a private travel assistant. If you are interested in this position, you can talk to your employer about the options available. Many employees may remain in the above works, expanding their responsibilities to travel planning.